I've always been interested in fashion and the business of fashion. I write about the latest clothes and trends just as much as I write about the commerce and trade of the industry. I also like to write about how history, art and popular culture relate to fashion. I have more than 10 years of fashion journalism background—a decade or so of writing and dressing in everything from Prada to Zara to Yves Saint Laurent. I write for the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, Asia Tatler and Harper's Bazaar Singapore. You can also read my thoughts on fashion and design on http://www.styleintel.com/ Follow me on twitter: @bluecarreon

Has The Hermes Birkin Bag Lost Its Appeal?

For all the stories of waiting lists and the $10,000 price tag, is the Hermes Birkin still the mother lode of handbags when every

Hermes Birkin bags for sale at Milan Station in Hong Kong

other woman at lunch is armed with one? This is true in Asia, especially in Hong Kong and Singapore, where Birkin bags are as ubiquitous as Coach bags are in the US. They are everywhere and in every form—from entry level Birkins to special colors, from croc and ostrich versions to those embellished with crystals. As someone who’s worked with the socialite crowd, I’ve also seen closets devoted entirely to Birkins.

If Birkins are so expensive and so hard to get, then why do so many women—and men—carry them? Maybe they aren’t all that special if everyone has them?

In my quest to find all sorts of information about the Birkin, I talked to a bag blogger, a socialite and a fashion insider on the myth, and shall I dare say it, the decline of the Birkin. I also visited Milan Station in Central, Hong Kong, a second hand luxury bag shop that now almost exclusively deals in brand new Birkins and Kellys. (See their shop windows in the accompanying photographs).

More Hermes Birkin bags for sale at Milan Station

Picking out a hibiscus colored Birkin, I was told that it was brand new, straight from the box, and never been used. I asked where their Birkins come from and a sales associate responded, “Our clients buy Birkins at Hermes stores and sell them to us. We have more stock of Birkin bags than the Hermes store,” she said. They sell the Birkins for 50-100% more than the retail price at the Hermes store and they would not bargain down because they said there will be people who will buy them at asking price. Milan Station and others like it, do away with the waiting lists for an added cost, making Birkins readily available for those who have the money to spare. And many people in Hong Kong do.

Masako Kumakura, a global communications practitioner who recently moved to China, believes that the Birkin has become a bit démodé especially among the stylish set. “Too many people who are not all that fashionable have it. And they carry it everywhere. In Asia, I have seen women carry their big Birkins to dinner parties. So not chic,” she said.

“Since almost everybody has a Birkin bag, more and more ladies are opting for bags made from exotic skins now, not necessarily Birkins,” shared socialite and Singapore PR maven Olga Iserlis.

Popular blogger Bagaholicboy who hails from Singapore had this to say: “Truth be told, I’m honestly still puzzled why the Birkin is still so coveted. Yes, it still seems to be the most coveted bag in Singapore and around the region, and every month I get at least 10 new snapshots of Birkins from their proud owners from South East Asia.”

But he also points out that to a lot of people, the fact that the Birkin is a handbag is beside the point. It represents success, achievement and status. It shows that the wearer is a card-carrying member of the $10,000 handbag club. “It is still the ultimate status symbol, for first-timers who save for months on end to buy their first very Birkin to those seasoned collectors who must have every new color or size in their wardrobe. Because the Birkin is more than just a bag, it’s a lifestyle.”

View the slideshow of celebrities like Victoria Beckham, Naomi Campbell and Lady Gaga and their Birkins.

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More and more women are looking for special one off pieces. Why pay so much money when so many others are sporting the same bag (or shoes or clothes) as you are? Louis Vuitton has recognized that their brand has become too popular and too common that is why they are offering custom made service in their new Shanghai boutique.

This article is absolutely spot on. As a long time Hermes customer, I’ve had many Hermes SA’s from different countries tell me the exact same thing since last year. The profile of the Hermes birkin buyer these days is vastly different from the regular/long time Hermes customer. Hermes customers who have been buying Hermes for years are NO LONGER drawn to the birkin. For regular H customers, there is a much greater demand for the Kelly, Plume, Constance, even the Roulis. (I am worried that the Kelly will soon suffer the same fate as the Birkin.) Unfortunately there has been so much negative association with the Birkin in the past year or two – it has become such an “IT/statement” bag for B or C list celebrities, for new money consumers, for wannabes. Fashion insiders in NY and Paris derisively make comments about women who tote birkins to fashion events, which was not the case about 4-5 years ago. So to answer the writer, for many old time Hermes customers, the answer to his question is a sad but resounding yes, the Birkin has lost its luster.

May I point out that what you see in Hong Kong and other offsite locations are fake Birkins, not your subway-cheap fake, but rather an expensive knock offs. Some customers i’m sure don’t even know that they are buying a fake, other don’t care they just wanna be a part of the club, even it’s not real. We have seen it in Dubai, Hong Kong, Duty frees, internet… Hermès chief executive officer Patrick Thomas recently estimated that eighty per cent of objects sold on the internet under the Hermès name are fakes, a statistic he branded “an absolute disgrace”. Therefore we think we see large amount of Birkins out on the street. Most of them are fakes and there is one of many ways to find out: just look on your key and the lock and if the number is 121 you’re a proud owner of a fake Bag. Which is killing the not only the Birkin appeal, but the brand really, bcs those who spent the time, energy and money to get it, don’t want to associate either with a fake nor with a crowd. Btw same goes for infamous “Collier de Chien” bracelet, that now only a lazy girl doesn’t know how to get a fake one. Kelly is a cooler bag at the moment for that reason, it has not reached the mass appeal yet, hence less likely you’d see a fake sitting right next to you real bag…Ladies, just say “no” to a fake, respect yourself. read more http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/columns/olivia-bergin/TMG9338465/Hermes-employees-found-to-be-in-on-counterfeit-ring.html#.T-jAe_r9lFg.facebook